Why was Texas forced into a major rolling blackout after an unusual cold wave?
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Due to the great cold wave that struck the southern United States in February 2021, a large-scale rolling blackout was being implemented in Texas for more than 4 million households. Various media have summarized the cause of the question, 'Why did the cold wave cause a major blackout in Texas?'
What went wrong with the Texas power grid?
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Wholesale-power-prices-spiking-across-Texas-15951684.php
Texas power outage: Why natural gas went down during the winter storm | The Texas Tribune
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/
Texas'natural gas production just froze under pressure --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/17/22287130/texas-natural-gas-production-power-outages-frozen
It is said that the temperature rarely drops below 0 degrees Celsius in winter in Texas every year, but in February 2021 it recorded below -10 degrees Celsius due to an unusually large cold wave. Due to the effects of the cold wave, the power supply network was disrupted, forcing a large-scale rolling blackout.
A big blackout in Texas hit by a cold wave affects 4 million households --GIGAZINE
The stagnation of electricity in Texas is not simply due to the cold weather, which has increased demand for heating more than usual. Perhaps the biggest problem is that 'natural gas facilities in Texas have failed to prepare for unusual cold weather.'
In Texas, where there are huge natural gas fields, natural gas accounts for the largest proportion of the fuel used for power generation. According to the Texas Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT) , which is responsible for ensuring the reliability of electrical networks, more than half of Texas electricity in 2019 will be fueled by natural gas, and the rest will be wind and nuclear power. , It is said that it is covered by coal-fired power generation.
However, according to Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at ERCOT, the cold wave lost an estimated 45 gigawatts of power generation, more than half of Texas's power generation capacity in winter. 'Most of the power generation capacity offline today seems to be primarily due to natural gas issues,' Woodfin said in a telephone interview on February 16.
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The most serious effect of cold waves on natural gas is 'freezing.' If the natural gas freezes inside a pipe or valve that supplies natural gas due to a cold wave, the pipe may become clogged and the gas flow may be obstructed. This is a phenomenon called 'freeze-off', and although it disrupts natural gas production in the United States every winter, Texas, which has a warm climate, was particularly lacking in preparation for freeze-off.
Many states with severe winter cold have invested in freeze-off prevention equipment, but Texas operators were unaware of the importance of freeze-off measures. According to BTU Analytics , a research firm related to natural gas and oil, Texas natural gas facilities will be hit by freeze-offs in a few days in a few years, so many businesses will see freeze-offs. It seems that production will be stopped for a while and it will go through.
However, this big cold wave, which is said to have been since 1989, has had a long-term impact on Texas' natural gas production, and the production volume has dropped to about half of the average year. Parker Faucet, an analyst at S & P Global Platts , an energy distributor, said, 'If the collection line freezes and the gas wells cool, natural gas can no longer be produced. The pump also has power. Because it is used, if it cannot generate electricity, it cannot pump up natural gas. '
In addition, the demand for natural gas used not only for power generation but also for heating increases in winter, so the proportion of natural gas that can be used for power generation is lower than in summer, which has spurred this problem. 'Texas is a state of natural gas. Natural gas is currently failing in the most spectacular way,' said Michael Webber, a professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin.
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It's been the first time in Texas that a rolling blackout due to a cold wave has taken place since 2011, and Woodfin said of the situation: 'It seemed that our winter preparations were working. But the climate was more extreme than in the past, 'he said, claiming that such a cold wave was unexpected. On the other hand, some say that the power outage was a failure of states and ERCOTs that did not provide sufficient support to power companies, and it has been pointed out that the same problem will occur again unless the power grid is rebuilt.
In addition, it is said that a scam has been confirmed on social media that asks people to send their account numbers in text under the guise of a power person in the wake of a power outage in Texas. ERCOT cautioned against this scam: 'Don't send any information! We don't need your information to get your power back.'
Disaster scammers target Texas blackout victims --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/16/22285980/disaster-scammers-target-texas-blackout-victims-winter-storm-ftc-electricity
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